Title

Description

One of the signs that went up on the buildings around campus shortly after Apr 16 directing the media to stay out of the campus buildings

Creator

Megan Minter

Contributor

Megan Minter

Rights

You are contributing your stories and/or files to The April 16 Archive, which is developing a permanent digital record of the events surrounding the tragedy on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007. Your participation in this project will allow future researchers, and people such as yourself, to gain a greater understanding of these events and the responses to them.

You must be 13 years of age or older to submit material to us. Your submission of material constitutes your permission for, and consent to, its dissemination and use in connection with The April 16 Archive in all media in perpetuity. If you have so indicated on the form, your material will be published on The April 16 Archive web site (with or without your name, depending on what you have indicated). Otherwise, your submitted materials will only be available to approved researchers using The April 16 Archive. The material you submit must have been created by you, wholly original, and shall not be copied from or based, in whole or in part, upon any other photographic, literary, or other material, except to the extent that such material is in the public domain. Further, submitted material must not violate any confidentiality, privacy, security or other laws.

By submitting material to The April 16 Archive you release, discharge, and agree to hold harmless The April 16 Archive and persons acting under its permission or authority, including a public library or archive to which the collection might be donated for purposes of long-term preservation, from any claims or liability arising out the The April 16 Archive's use of the material, including, without limitation, claims for violation of privacy, defamation, or misrepresentation.

The April 16 Archive has no obligation to use your material.

You will be sent via email a confirmation of your contribution to The April 16 Archive. We cannot return any material you submit to us so be sure to keep a copy. The April 16 Archive will not share your email address or any other information with commercial vendors.

As you can imagine, there remains significant ongoing media interest in Virginia Tech in light of the tragedy that occurred on our campus last April 16. As is customary for an event of this magnitude - one that gripped not only reporters, but the entire world - there will be anniversary coverage on or around April 16, 2008.

We expect again to have many, many reporters, broadcasters, and cameras on campus during that week and/or at the remembrances planned for that day.

As I did last year, let me again apprise you of our policy and the law. Our university is public property. Roads are public thoroughfares. We cannot bar the media, although many have suggested it. We will be working to provide appropriate but limited access to the campus. I believe that most were respectful of you and the circumstances of our healing last year.

Reporters (or other visitors) are never allowed in classrooms without the faculty member&#39;s permission. This is a moot point, since classes are cancelled on April 16. Still, we are apprising the media to refrain from entering academic buildings before or after April 16. Residence halls are always off limits to any visitor unless approved by a resident or a member of the student affairs&#39; leadership. Spaces like offices and labs are always controlled by the occupants. Certain university buildings have nominal public access and you may bump into a reporter. If a building is open to the public, it is open to all members of the public.

What should you do if a member of the news media approaches you for an interview either on that day or before? You are never REQUIRED to speak to a reporter. Politely telling a reporter &#39;no thank you&#39; will suffice. If a reporter is particularly insistent, just walk away and do not feel guilty about doing so. We have posted media guidelines at www.remembrance.vt.edu.

However, we have a powerful story to tell. We have prevailed and we are healing. The Hokie Nation is strong. You have represented us well during some very trying times. You have shown the world the special nature of Hokie Spirit and our sense of community. The close-knit nature of this academic community was readily apparent throughout the days and months after April&#39;s tragedy and continues.

If interviewed, I would expect a reporter to ask you about April 16. Go only as far as you feel comfortable. You control the discussion. Students and professors with whom I&#39;ve discussed this possibility are in different places emotionally. Many are ready to move on and speak to the now or the future. Frankly, I like to focus on what we were before April 16 and what we remain today - one of America&#39;s leading universities focused on learning, discovery, and engagement. You help invent the future.

Virginia Tech&#39;s reputation and legacy are founded on the quality of its people. I have great confidence in the university community and the institution as we continue on the road to recovery.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at unirel@vt.edu or 231-5396.

Sincerely yours,

Lawrence G. Hincker
Associate Vice President
University Relations

Creator

Lawrence G. Hincker

Date

2008-03-23

Contributor

Brent Jesiek

Language

Title

Still waiting for our victory

Description

Observer Viewpoint
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Viewpoint

Anyone old enough to speak coherently at the time still remembers the moment, over forty years ago, when they heard about JFK&#39;s assassination. Our grandparents can tell us how they listened to the radio accounts of Pearl Harbor on a December day, more than six decades gone. Every single one of us here at Notre Dame can recall where we were on the day of Sept. 11, 2001 - what we were doing, how the horribly tragic events of that morning unfolded for us and our personal feelings on the matter. Any time someone shares a personal story of That Day, I&#39;m always amazed at the details people recall.

I remember listening to Paul Harvey&#39;s show on my AM radio while driving to school when he announced the first plane crash. I remember talking about it with my friend before the start of first-hour Biology, and I remember the girl who came in and told us the other tower had been hit. I remember conversations I had that day, things different teachers said and talking with my grandparents in the evening. That was my experience, half a country away, without a personal connection to anyone involved. The mass media of the past century gave rise to a new, shared cultural experience, a common reference point that breaches distance and background: the generation-defining event.

When we hear 9/11 described this way, it is absolutely on-target.

This week, we have another national tragedy. News of the massacre at Virginia Tech on Monday spread like wildfire throughout both national and international outlets, even reaching most of us studying abroad in Europe within the hour. We learned of the catastrophe over television stations, through quickly formed Facebook groups, on Internet news sites and during instant messaging conversations. Solid facts came slowly, but no report could sanitize away the fear, confusion, anger, torrential grief and host of other emotions that assault us all in such times.

This is the great curse of our generation&#39;s hyper-awareness and the awesome power of modern media. We cannot escape the sentiments swirling around the tragedies, and they cannot remain anonymous or distant to us. It is hard to ignore the images of grown men and women crying as dead college students are carried away, the surreal sounds of gunshots being fired on a peaceful college campus or the first-hand accounts of courage and action during the Virginia shootings. I hesitate to compare this with 9/11; the numbers, circumstances, impact, source, scope and means are worlds apart. Yet both incidents serve to painfully remind us that these events always seem to be associated with sorrow, tragedy and death.

The events of Monday, though still fresh in my mind, will probably not stick with me as do those of 9/11. Sadly, the thousands of students and faculty and staff connected with the university, the thousands of parents worrying at home and the thousands of residents in the surrounding community don&#39;t have that luxury of separation. For them, this will become a "where were you when..." event. Monday will haunt their minds and stay with them for the duration of their lives. Healing can take place, and God willing, can come soon, but memories of all the little details from Monday will stick. Meanwhile, the rest of us are stuck asking ourselves: How many more of these "defining" events can we plan on seeing in the coming years and decades? And when can we expect one judged not by the body count or human toll, but by the rewards and human joy brought about?

Some may say any event that becomes constantly discussed, like 9/11, does not develop its crystalline clarity in the moments of its occurrence, but rather slowly cements itself during the constant regurgitation of facts and satellite details in the months and years following. Even if this were the case, we are still left empty-handed trying to think of a ubiquitous positive event. I firmly believe that such events, incredibly wonderful instead of shockingly horrific, are entirely possible. Unfortun-ately, we are still waiting to see what such an event would look like.

The consistently negative nature of these events can be explained to some degree. "Good events," for one, rarely culminate in one triumphant moment. Tragedy, on the other hand, catches us unaware. In the shock, the horrific facts come slowly and there are a thousand unknowns. With triumphant accomplishments, the event is often merely symbolic and known well in advance. The closest models I can call to mind are the fall of the Berlin Wall - which I and most of my classmates were too young to remember - and the moon landing, decades before we were born.

Our generation, already exposed to so much death and murder and war and evil, still waits for its anti-9/11. We have yet to gather around our televisions and computers to share joy instead of sorrow, fulfillment instead of shock, pleasure instead of anger. We are the waiting. But for the moment, in respect for the Virginia Tech community, let us remember that we are also among the mourning.

James Dechant is a junior studying abroad in Rome this semester. Questions, complaints and rude remarks can be sent to jdechant@nd.edu

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Title

Description

By the end of the Monday it was obvious that the media had begun selling the day&#39;s horrors at Virginia Tech. No matter the gravity or magnitude of a tragedy, this country&#39;s commentators veer from events as they are, in and of themselves horrible, to a decontextualized, surreal account of things so they can be sold to and consumed by us.

The shooting - the deadliest shooting in American history - quickly became, for some people, another chance to make various political points. It became, by the time Wolf Blitzer&#39;s show aired, a sort of tragic-porn, a way for the media to provoke rather than inform. Commentators tried to politicize it, politicians tried to comment on it, the news channels tried to heighten the drama with their usual parade of loud music and epic comparisons, "This is worse than ... " or "This is the biggest ... " Was what happened not enough in and of itself?

Glenn Reynolds, law professor at University of Tennessee, quickly posted a 52-page paper on his popular Weblog arguing that the best way to prevent shootings like Monday&#39;s is to permit concealed handguns. It was the day&#39;s most academic approach to the event, but it was also one of the most callous.

Written by two economists, the paper concluded that "the only policy factor to influence multiple victim public shootings is the passage of concealed handgun laws." Reynolds and several others who followed his lead took the deaths of 33 students to advance an agenda which, although done in an attempt to stop such events in the future, made them into a policy argument.

Similarly, the Drudge Report, a conservative news site, dragged out a fourth-month old story from Roanoke Times about failed piece of legislation that would have permitted concealed handguns.

It reported, "Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. &#39;I&#39;m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly&#39;s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.&#39;"

The point was: if students hadn&#39;t had to wait for the police to arrive, Monday&#39;s shootings would have been an incident and not a tragedy. The effect of their ill-made point was that gun control advocates were somehow responsible for the shooting.

In response, the Huffington Post highlighted a story that the White House affirmed the "president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms." Their point: if only there had been a law against carrying weapons (and there is - VT&#39;s handbook doesn&#39;t permit guns on campus), this wouldn&#39;t have happened. The effect of that point was that somehow the Second Amendment or the Bush Administration was responsible for the shooting.

The politicians, meanwhile, all took care to come out and say how horrible the events were. Perhaps they thought if they didn&#39;t grandstand on TV with their condolences, someone might mistake their silence for support?

The news channels proved again that constant, breathless coverage undermines the fundamental tragedy, horror and fact of an event. CNN escalated its description of the shootings from "monumental" to a "rampage" to a "massacre," to a "bloodbath," as if their appellations signified anything but their desire to sell the story.

By Monday evening, each station had begun saying as often as possible how tragic the obvious tragedy was, and how horrible the horror was - and at the same time they plugged their own brand: "Stay tuned to us for ... " For what? For whatever scarce news they could pry from any student on the VT campus they could pull aside and, occasionally, attempt to provoke into more tears with probing, useless questions.

CNN kept mentioning their "I Reporters," which is their way of saying "people who sent us pictures from their cell phones."

If the media&#39;s reaction Monday was a sign of the American psyche, we are a country that cannot understand an event outside of a political framework, and we are a country that cannot understand an event as it is.

There were two terrible but - compared to the media&#39;s carnival barker commentary - honest accounts from Monday. The first was cell phone video footage taken outside the building of the shootings that captured the sounds of 27 shots being fired, presumably into somebody. It was replayed and replayed and, after a while, it became a selling point for CNN rather than a way to describe the day&#39;s events.

The second account, reminiscent of Sept. 11, came from a student who told ABC News, "Everyone started panicking and jumping out the window."

But there is nothing anyone can say that makes it make sense, so, from Lord Byron:

Creator

Date

Contributor

Language

Title

Post-Dedication Interview

Description

After the intermediate memorial dedication ceremony, interviews such as this one were commonplace. But while there was clearly a media presence at this event, it was subdued in comparison to the immediate aftermath of April 16.

Date

Contributor

Rights

Language

Title

Media Coverage of VT Tragedy Irresponsible

Description

By Tammesia Green

Following the massacre that occurred at Virginia Tech University on April 16, many have come to question their own safety at universities across the country. The profile of a school shooter, once narrowed to a lonely white male high-school student with a fascination with and open access to guns, was quickly re-examined as we discovered the shooter to be 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui. But before the news had been released that the shooter was Asian, the question on everyone&#39;s mind was whether this catastrophe could have been prevented. This question is a good one, and should be debated, but reflecting on the length of time the press devoted to this subject was unsettling for me.

I remember going to class the morning of the shooting and hearing news reports that two people had been shot at a Virginia Tech dormitory. Upon my return five hours later I was shocked to see the death toll had escalated to 33. Immediately, I wanted to know what had happened and if the killer had been caught. Watching the news, all I could find were reporters asking questions like, "Why wasn&#39;t the school placed on lockdown? What time was the first e-mail sent to students? Why wasn&#39;t more done to prevent this tragedy?"

It became clear that I would not learn anything about what actually took place on the campus that could account for the casualty numbers rising; I had to resort to the Internet to try to make sense of all that was happening. After getting a clear account, I was upset at the amount of time the network news channels devoted to placing blame on officials at Virginia Techâ€”only, the "placing blame" was not seen for what it was. Instead, it was promoted as good investigative journalism.

I understand that it is the job of a journalist to ask the hard questions and uphold a level of accountability toward officials. However, I found that the questions posed by reporters in press conferences regarding Virginia Tech were not necessarily out of line, but a result of constant criticism of their inability to question authority in high-stakes situations.

Past disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the logic behind going to war with Iraq played their roles in the types of questions posed to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. These questions were simply a ploy to preemptively avoid any backlash from the public for not addressing accountability.

Following the invasion of Iraq and never finding weapons of mass destruction, the public began to demand that journalists not be afraid to question authority and command answers from high-ranking officials. Hurricane Katrina allowed for reporters to regain some credibility by analyzing slow relief efforts and the lack of preparation from the government. It is no surprise that in order to keep credibility and uphold the public&#39;s faith in reporters, journalists continued to grow a backbone and demanded answers from those in power.

The word "accountability" is ultimately what forced the media to focus on how administrators screwed up and not the shooter. But accountability is not to be placed on school administrators and campus police when the act was really the work of one man, and only he can be blamed. Real investigative journalism would have been to expose the motives of Cho, not debate whether an e-mail should have been sent earlier or been more detailed. Even as students from the Virginia Tech campus were being interviewed and asked if their administration at the university should have done more, the look of "Are you really asking me this now?" ran across most of their faces. They, like me, could not understand why their administrators were being harassed as if they made the events unfold, and not Cho.

There is no way administrators at Virginia Tech could have predicted that a domestic dispute incident would be cause for the closing of an entire university. Anyone who thinks they would have had the notion to suspend classes and not think of the first attack as an isolated incident is thinking in the context of hindsight. Colleges enroll large quantities of students, equivalent to the population of some U.S. cities. Just like a city, Virginia Tech did not shut down when evidence of a homicide was discovered.

It is nice to want to believe that our college campuses are the last step before entering the real world, and are therefore void of the many threats society holds. But evil does exist and it knows no bounds. This evil of one individual is the only factor that should matter in evaluating who is accountable for the Virginia Tech massacre.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://www.newuniversity.org/showArticle.php?id=5789>New University - April 30, 2007</a>

Language

Title

Description

Just days after the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, NBC made the inappropriate decision to release videos of killer Cho Seung-Hui angrily ranting about the reasoning behind his crimes.

Cho had sent a package that contained 43 photos, 28 video clips and a 23-page letter directly to NBC headquarters in New York during a break in his shooting spree on Monday. After NBC first released the shocking "multimedia manifesto" on the NBC Nightly News broadcast, 24-hour news networks quickly followed suit, constantly showing the disturbing video excerpts and photo clips.

The media&#39;s release of Cho&#39;s photos and diatribe gave a deeper look into the mind and motivations of the killer, a decision that has had a great ripple affect across the country. While NBC stands by its decision to release the material, we believe the choice was made too hastily, without much thought or sensitivity for the families of the victims of the shooting, who have only had days to handle the emotional effects of losing their loved ones.

Forensic psychiatrist and ABC News consultant Michael Welner appeared on "Good Morning America" yesterday to discuss the troublesome consequences. "This is a social catastrophe," Welner said. "This is perversion...[Cho] needs to create and produce his own picture in order to give himself a sense of power. Nobody saw him that way...that&#39;s why he set this up and he did this to achieve immortality."

Welner&#39;s argument is logical. This footage does not present the public with any deeper knowledge about the crimes and, for that reason, it is not at all newsworthy. Instead, showing the video is a disrespectful and insensitive action toward the Blacksburg victims. Furthermore, the broadcast footage gives the fame-seeking Cho an audience and a stage where he can attempt to justify his crimes. In other words, it gives him exactly what he wanted.

The problem is that 24-hour news networks have the unsettling habit of overeagerly reporting breaking news before having time to reflect upon the consequences of their coverage. NBC and other media outlets are pressured to constantly search for exciting and stimulating material to put on the air and as a result, they neglect to spend time on research and deliberation.

That&#39;s what went wrong here. Cho&#39;s video collection was treated as news gold and was broadcasted without enough forethought. NBC and the other news networks had an obligation to act more responsibly. The videos and photos should have been carefully investigated before they were broadcast. Someone should have sat back and reflected upon the material and the negative repercussions that could follow.

Unfortunately, our media tends to do this kind of thing all the time. As soon as we turn on our televisions, we are bombarded with news tickers, terror alerts and breaking stories that are blown up and emphasized to the extreme. Networks play on fear and paranoia to attract viewers, giving us shocking and reactive spurts of material that only serve to rouse our emotions.

Instead of focusing on being the first to get the scoop, NBC and other media outlets should concentrate on thoughtfully investigating material before putting them on the air.

Description

You are probably noticing that the students are moving back to Blacksburg this week. (It is a good time to stay away from Washington Street.) The start of the fall semester is always an exciting time and we will be welcoming over 5,000 freshmen in the great new class of 2011. We will also be welcoming approximately 100 new faculty colleagues across all eight colleges. The first day of class will be a memorable adventure.

Many departments and colleges have been busy this week with pre-semester retreats, planning sessions, and orientations. I realize that you are receiving multiple forms of communication about ongoing and new activities. I am going to highlight a few key issues and events recognizing that you have heard or will hear more about each of these items in different ways.

1. The three internal reviews requested by President Steger will be presented soon. James Hyatt chaired the group looking at infrastructure and security; Erv Blythe chaired the group looking at networking; and Jerry Niles chaired the group looking at the relationships among the academic, judicial, counseling, and legal systems. Each group will provide an overview of existing structures and programs and will make recommendations for enhancements. Some of the relevant items have been or are being implemented already (such as VT Alerts), and a comprehensive summary and outline of additional security enhancements was prepared by Executive Vice President James Hyatt. A note of immediate relevance to faculty instructors: the general assignment classrooms are being fitted with hardware that will allow rooms to be locked from the inside with automatic unlocking features when exiting.

2. The dedication ceremony of the memorial on the Drillfield will be held at noon on Sunday. All members of the university and extended community are invited. Faculty and student representatives will provide brief comments.

3. Human Resources and the Cook Counseling Center are coordinating efforts to provide counseling support to faculty, staff, and students next week. There will be two primary sites staffed by trained professionals: a tent on the Drillfield and Squires Student Center. Counselors will be able to travel to other locations as needed. In addition, counselors will be specifically assigned to a few key locations (including Norris Hall). In April, faculty members implemented a plan to invite a faculty colleague to attend class on the first day. The colleague was available to provide collegial support and to be available, if needed, to help with any issues that came up.

The college deans&#39; offices are helping to promote and encourage a similar system next week. Last spring we relied on the good judgment of faculty members to decide how best to address and respond to the events of April 16. We will do so again. I anticipate that most students and faculty in the classroom will be eager to focus on what we do best: teaching and learning. CEUT held some sessions for faculty this week and will have follow-up sessions over the next few weeks. Your feedback about your experiences and the experiences of the students will be helpful.

4. You have received advice about media attention early in the week. You are free to talk with the media, but you are under no obligation to do so. Also, you can decide what issues you want to discuss. You have control over who is admitted to your classrooms.

5. The "Concert for Virginia Tech" on Thursday, September 6 is going to have an impact on classes that evening. As of now, we are planning to cancel classes beginning at 5 p.m. so that all faculty, staff, and students may attend the concert if they wish. Unlike the situation with football games, the parking lots are open to regular use and no one will be expected to vacate spaces in specific lots. As provost, I am never thrilled when the regular academic schedule is affected by non-academic events. We are going through an important phase of the healing process and I hope you will embrace the positive features of this unique contribution to the Virginia Tech community.

6. One of the highlights of the academic year will be a special program that brings emphasis to our commitment to the unique responsibilities and opportunities that come from being Virginia&#39;s senior land-grant university, as well as highlights the Student Engagement component of our Strategic Plan. The program, which we are calling VT-ENGAGE, is a university-wide initiative that reaffirms our motto, Ut Prosim, by facilitating and leading opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to participate in community service, service learning, and volunteerism. During its inaugural year 2007-2008, VT-ENGAGE will honor the victims of the tragedy of April 16 and the commitment to service they demonstrated within their communities worldwide.

A Steering Committee, which includes broad representation of faculty, staff, students, administrators, and community leaders, is working diligently on the planning for VT-ENGAGE. The committee has established a goal of at least 300,000 hours of service/service learning. Each member of the university community will be challenged to commit at least 10 hours during the academic year. We hope that each of you will choose to participate and that you will find creative ways to include the spirit of VT-ENGAGE in your teaching, research, and outreach.

A major event will be held on the Drillfield the evening of October 16 to kick-off VT-ENGAGE. Community organizations are being invited to have displays and to sign-up volunteers. The event will be festive and feature stories of how Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff, students, and alumni make a difference in communities around the world. Much more to come.

We believe VT-ENGAGE will send another positive message that Virginia Tech is a very special community with a spirit that does indeed prevail.

Best wishes for a successful start to the new academic year.

Mark McNamee
University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

With the beginning of the fall 2007 semester, there will be intense media interest in the Virginia Tech community in light of the events of April 16. While some may prefer otherwise, there will again be many broadcasters, reporters, and cameras on the campus. Indeed, some already are on campus.

Our university is public property. Our roads are public thoroughfares. We cannot bar the media from campus. However, although our buildings are open to the public, residence halls, offices, and classrooms are restricted. Faculty members control entry to classrooms while teaching there. Labs are open only to those authorized. Offices are semi-private spaces open to anyone with a reason to be there. University residence halls are living quarters and open only to those living there and their guests.

What should you do if a member of the news media approaches you for an interview? You are never REQUIRED to speak to the media. Politely telling a reporter "no thank you" will suffice. If a reporter is particularly troublesome, just walk away and do not feel guilty about doing so.

However, I am proud -- very, very proud -- of our university community and how we have represented ourselves to the world through the media over the past several months. You have shown the world the special nature of Hokie Spirit. If you are comfortable, feel free to speak about yourselves, your involvement with the university, or your feelings about the future. I wouldn&#39;t be surprised if reporters want to take you back to April 16. You control discussion and you talk about what you want to talk about. It&#39;s your time.

Should you engage a reporter, take advantage of the opportunity to share some Hokie Spirit. The world mourned with us and maintains an interest in the collective health of our extended university community. I believe that most reporters share this concern and compassion. With so many reporters present, this is a unique opportunity to again convey the character of our community and tell a little about why Virginia Tech and Blacksburg are such very special places.

Language

Title

Description

BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Wednesday criticized some U.S. media&#39;s irresponsible reports on the Virginia Tech shooting before finding out the truth, calling on relevant sides to eliminate baneful impact of the incident.

Following Monday&#39;s shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, some U.S. media reported the gunman was a Chinese student. Later, the U.S. police identified the gunman who killed 32 people as a student from the Republic of Korea, Cho Seung-Hui.

Calling the mass shooting a "very serious" incident, Liu said it was a terribly wrong move to give irresponsible reports before finding out the truth, which had violated the professional moral of the press.

The Chinese government and people are very concerned about this incident and lamented the deaths, the spokesman said, adding China expresses sincere sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims as well as the injured, hoping they will recover at an early date.

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing conveyed condolences to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the shooting in a telegram Tuesday, expressing sincere concern to the U.S. government and those affected by the shooting.

Monday&#39;s shooting rampage is the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. history. Liu Jianchao said on Tuesday evening China is "shocked" by the tragedy and strongly condemns the violence.